Famous Dominican basher gets the country’s top literary prize

Santo Domingo.- Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa on Tuesdaythanked the organizers of the Dominican-based Pedro Henriquez Ureña InternationalAward 2016, despite bashing Dominicans during last year’s immigration crisiswith Haitian nationals.

"The news pleased me above all on the enormousadmiration for Henriquez Ureña, whom I consider one of the great intellectualfigures of our literature, unfortunately not sufficiently known or recognizedin Spain and Latin America," the famed writer said, calling the prize an accolade.

He stressed Dominican Republic’s democratic spirit which despitethe intellectual’s criticism of the Caribbean nation’s immigration policy regardingHaitian citizens, had granted the recognition.

Vargas added that he was eager to receive the award in thecountry, where his work Feast of the Goat drew sharp criticism from Dominican historians who described the screenplay as "exaggeration."